


24 Hours

by LadyVader23



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Darth Vader Needs a Hug, Family Bonding, Force Visions, Gen, Luke Skywalker Needs A Hug, Minor Angst, Parent Darth Vader, Skywalker Family Drama, The Skywalkers start sorting out their issues, Yoda is a Troll, but a little green frog gremlin will do, they probably need therapy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:55:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25245001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyVader23/pseuds/LadyVader23
Summary: Instead of following the Millennium Falcon, Vader ends up following Luke to Dagobah. When he finds a certain Jedi Master there, he gives Luke a terrible ultimatum: join him within 24 hours, or Yoda dies. Yoda, and therefore the Force, has different plans for the Skywalkers...
Relationships: Luke Skywalker & Darth Vader
Comments: 19
Kudos: 418
Collections: 2020 Star Wars Summer Fic Exchange





	24 Hours

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HeartOfStars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeartOfStars/gifts).



> For HeartofStars for Silverdaye's Summer Fic Exchange! Enjoy!

After three years of hunting, Vader had him. 

Luke. 

His son. 

Oh, he didn’t know it yet. This planet was...strange, in the Force. One moment he was accurately sensing where his son was, and the next he felt him on the complete other side of the planet, or not at all. 

_ Dagobah, _ his navigation system told him when he’d exited hyperspace after following Luke here from Hoth. A planet with very little detail, but he’d known the moment he’d laid eyes on it that it was strong in the Force. 

Both the Dark, and the Light. 

It was the tracker he’d placed on Luke’s X-wing that led him to him. Otherwise, it might have taken far too long to do so. The atmospheric conditions weren’t ideal for flying, and wandering around in the thick, muggy jungle was frustrating enough. He didn’t feel the temperature, but he did have to deal with the plethora of vines and roots. But quickly enough, he found…

The wreckage of an X-wing. 

With one look, he knew it was still space-worthy. It was half sunken into the swamp, but it wasn’t anything levitation wouldn’t quickly fix. That...didn’t bode well for him. He debated on permanently disabling the ship so Luke couldn’t escape, but a thought struck him: if Luke knew how to levitate, wouldn’t he have done so already? 

Interesting. 

He left the option open out of pure curiosity. If Luke tried it, it would be a test of his skills. A test that would tell Vader just how much work he’d need to do to teach him the ways of the Force. 

After he undid the brainwashing Kenobi had done. 

He gritted his teeth, whirled, and headed in the direction he was certain Luke had taken. 

He didn’t have to go far. There, ahead, nestled in the trees, a light shone. He heard the sounds of an astromech droid beeping, followed by Luke’s voice. A voice he’d...only heard a few times in his entire life. It made him pause. 

“This place gives me the creeps.” 

Well. At least his son had enough sense to determine that the planet was...off. 

“Still. There’s somethin familiar about this place.” 

He continued forward, hand going to his lightsaber but not yet drawing it. It was difficult to be stealthy in his suit, but occasionally he managed, though it required temporarily shutting off his breathing apparatus. His lungs burned as the droid replied,  _ What makes you say that?  _

“I don’t know.” Vader could see the back of him now. He was turning, eyes scanning the trees, and Vader stopped. “I feel like--” 

Suddenly, he whirled, blaster drawn, pointed right at him. 

Vader expected it. The boy was strong in the Force, and even if this planet made the Force muddled, he would surely sense him coming. But apparently, Luke must have sensed someone approaching, but not necessarily  _ him,  _ because he immediately stood, his face draining of color, his other hand clumsily pulling out his lightsaber--or rather,  _ Anakin’s  _ lightsaber-- even as the other dropped the blaster. 

“How--what-- _ Why?!”  _ Luke demanded, quickly recovering from his shock. 

Vader should have pulled his own lightsaber. He was curious after all, regarding the extent of his son’s lightsaber skills. But for a moment he could only drink in the sight of him. He definitely hadn’t inherited his stature, though clearly years in the Rebellion had kept him fit. He...definitely looked like his younger self, with blonde hair, eyes that were light enough that Vader assumed they were blue, and the same curve of his mouth. 

But the nose and the softness...those he didn’t get from him. 

The wave of hatred he sensed from him though...that was Vader. 

Good. It would serve him well. And as Vader noted that Luke’s defensive stance was completely wrong, he wondered if he had far less de-brainwashing work to do, after all. 

Vader opened his mouth to say something significant--something witty or important, even just blurting out  _ I am your father,  _ but instead his eyes caught on something else--the droid being charged, beeping frantically. 

So instead what came out was, “Where did you get that droid?!” 

Luke’s brows furrowed in confusion. “I didn’t realize you were shopping for a new droid.” There was false confidence in his voice, even as the boy clearly wondered why Vader had shown up to ask about his droid. Except that Luke’s droid was none other than  _ his  _ droid, the one he’d lost after…

Just how much had Kenobi given Luke of his?! 

“No matter.” This time he summoned his lightsaber to his hand, though he had yet to ignite it. “I will deal with it later.” 

_ Like hell you will!  _ Artoo spat, shaking from side to side on his legs. 

He hadn’t changed much, it seemed. 

But Luke was hesitating, eyes darting between him and the droid, clearly sensing that something else was happening. Perhaps he should skip the test of his lightsaber skills and just tell him-- 

“Unexpected, this is.” 

Hate and  _ rage  _ exploded within him, and his lightsaber was ignited even before he whirled. Luke tensed, but didn’t dare move, didn’t dare keep his eyes off of him, but Vader didn’t care. 

Sitting on a particularly large root in a ragged robe, covered in filth, was none other than Master Yoda. Beyond Kenobi and Luke, the most wanted Jedi in the entire galaxy. 

The little green troll didn’t even blink. He simply frowned, ears tilted downwards slightly, observing him with--with  _ pity.  _ Like it wasn’t him who was hiding in a backwater swamp, living amongst the mud like a common rodent. Sure, Vader was reduced to living in the suit, but he had power and control. He’d proven that time and time again with each Jedi he hunted down and killed-- 

“I take it you two know each other?” 

Luke. If Luke was here, that meant--

“You’ve been getting Jedi training from  _ him?!”  _ He accused, though he didn’t dare turn away from the Jedi Master. Even in this state, he was certain Yoda was the bigger threat. If Luke knew the Dark Side, that would be one thing, but he didn’t. So he’d need to deal with Yoda, then he’d make sure Luke never tried to get training from another Jedi--

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Luke hesitate then look at the Jedi Master who had still not moved from his root. “I...you’re Master Yoda?” There was obvious disbelief in Luke’s voice, and Vader’s anger shifted back to his enemy. So he’d come here to find Yoda, but Vader had arrived just in time to prevent what would have turned into more Jedi brainwashing. 

Good. 

“Not what you expected, hm?” Yoda let out...a strange  _ giggle.  _ Vader tried to remember him ever laughing like that when he’d previously known him, but he was certain he hadn’t. Yoda was the ever stern, judgemental mystery creature who’d been instrumental in forcing him to spy on Palpatine, for not making him a master when he’d deserved it, for judging him everytime he made one tiny mistake-- 

His grip tightened on his lightsaber. “It would appear that you have gone crazy in your exile,  _ Master.”  _ The last word dripped in sarcastic venom. 

“When twenty two years you spend in a swamp you have, not as sane would you be.” He pointed his glimmer stick at him, letting loose another crazy laugh. 

Vader sneered. And Yoda thought  _ he  _ was deserving of pity? 

“The Emperor will be pleased when I bring him your head.” He snarled, stepping forward to end Yoda once and for all. 

“No!” Luke was suddenly standing between him and the Jedi Master, glaring even as his lightsaber connected with his, blocking the swing that would have (hopefully) killed Yoda. “I’m not going to let you kill yet another Jedi!” 

Vader’s teeth clenched. “You will learn.” Yet again, Luke’s form was terrible, and it wasn’t difficult to use his weight against him. With a twist of his lightsaber, he pushed Luke aside--or tried to. Luke’s lightsaber clattered out of his hand, but he recovered his balance, and he planted himself firmly between Vader and Yoda. 

Vader stared at his son, noting the stupid, angry, overly brave courage the boy had. Something he inherited from both of his parents, it would seem. “You don’t know the truth, Skywalker.” Vader pointed at him. “Stand aside. I will not have the Jedi use you any longer.” 

“I’m right where I want to be.” Luke glared defiantly. 

Vader didn’t know much yet about his son, but he did know that he believed he’d killed his father. A lie no doubt perpetrated by Kenobi. “Because you have been manipulated, just as I once was.” 

Already Vader could see the denial in Luke’s expression, even as he opened his mouth to object-- “Should you tell him, or should I?” Vader mockingly demanded, glaring at Yoda who watched the interaction with interest. 

“You have nothing I could possibly want to hear!” Luke snapped. 

“Join you, he will not, Vader.” Yoda said, completely ignoring the question. “Your revelation will not end as you expect.” 

“What do you know of the future?!” Vader growled. “I am in charge of my own destiny now!” 

“What are you two talking about?!” Luke demanded. He still hadn’t gone for his fallen lightsaber yet, glaring at Vader like he dared him to try killing him anyway. 

Brave, foolish boy. 

“Tell him, if you will. Know him, you do not.” 

_ Neither do you!  _ Vader wanted to snarl, but instead he looked back at his son. Their eyes met...and for the first time in so many years, he felt nerves rumbling in his stomach. It was stupid, and he quickly clamped down on them, but he wondered how such a small, foolish boy could make him feel such emotions. 

“Kenobi lied to you.” He spat the name like a curse. “I did not kill your father.” 

The color drained from Luke’s face, and though he struggled to maintain his glare, Vader could tell he’d already delivered a painful blow. 

“I am your father.” 

Luke stumbled back as though Vader had punched him in the gut, his expression turning to complete horror and denial, even as he obviously sensed the truth in his words. “You’re  _ lying!”  _

“Am I?” Vader glared back at Yoda. “Ask him if you’re so sure of that.” 

For a moment, Luke stood there, looking like he was either going to start screaming denials at him or be sick, but then he finally turned around to face the old Jedi Master. “Is...is he…?” 

Vader tried to ignore the disgust in the boy’s voice. He...expected that. Still, it hurt to actually hear it. 

Yoda let out a sigh, closing his eyes, for the first time looking more like the supposed wise Jedi master that people thought he’d been. “Your father, he is.” 

Now Luke definitely looked like he was about to be sick. Considering the wild, turbulent emotions he was practically broadcasting into the Force, Vader half expected it.  _ He’s young. He’s been brainwashed. He doesn’t understand.  _ He tried to reason with himself, but it didn’t make the sting any better. If he could bring Kenobi back from the dead and kill him over again, he would. 

“Kenobi stole you from me. I had no idea you were even alive until after the Death Star.” He added, and Luke flinched at the sound of his voice. He had meant it to come out calm, but the anger and bitterness of having had twenty two years of his son’s life stolen from him leaked through anyway. 

“Stolen?” Yoda let out a wild laugh that definitely didn’t sound sane. Killing the Jedi Master would be a mercy, Vader decided. “Parent a child while ruling the galaxy as a Sith? Not possible, that is.” 

“You know  _ nothing  _ of the Sith!” Vader snapped, stepping forward again to end the little gremlin once and for all. 

The movement snapped Luke out of his spiraling despair and Vader snarled as he again planted himself firmly between him and Yoda. He glared at him, but the glare couldn’t conceal the turmoil in Luke’s eyes, in his Force signature. 

“I don’t care what Ben did or didn’t do,” Luke managed, his voice low and raspy, “You will  _ not  _ kill anymore Jedi!” 

Vader sneered. “I can already sense that your training has been minimal, at best. You do not have the means to stop me.” Besides, Vader was certain even half crazy, Yoda could take care of himself. 

Something passed over Luke’s expression, but before he could identify what it was, it was gone, replaced by sheer stubborn determination. “Maybe not. But I swear to the  _ Force,  _ Vader, I won’t go willingly. I will  _ never  _ join you, familial relationship be damned. I’ll die before that happens!” 

The passion in his voice, and the truth that echoed in his words, made Vader pause, even as anger and terror at potentially losing his son choked at his throat. He...honestly hadn’t been expecting this reaction. Disappointment, yes. Disgust, probably. Horror, most certainly. But threats to die before joining? It was way over dramatic, and Vader normally would brush it off as foolish idealism that would be changed the moment Luke actually drew close to death. As a Sith, Luke’s refusal to cooperate with him should be answer enough; he should destroy him now before he could become a threat. The boy wasn’t even armed. It would be easy. 

But the thought of killing his son, especially when he looked at him the way his mother so often looked at him during one of their disagreements… 

He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t risk it. 

But...but there. Luke’s turmoil. It was so strong in the Force, he could taste it. Perhaps...perhaps he could still turn this around like he’d planned since the moment he found out about his boy. 

“Fine.” He disengaged his lightsaber, and Luke blinked in surprise, another wave of confusion adding to the already turbulent emotions running through him. “I will allow you twenty four hours to find out the truth about the Jedi.” He pointed at his son. “You will see their weakness, their folly, as I once did. By this time tomorrow, you will join me.” 

And Yoda would finally be dead. 

Luke still looked stunned, but he tried to put on another glare. “And if I don’t?” 

Vader paused. 

There was no alternative. Luke  _ had  _ to join him. He would not allow it, he couldn’t--

But he couldn’t exactly tell Luke that, could he? Vader wasn’t a master at manipulation and lying that Sidious was, but he’d need to try if he wanted his son to join him. Considering his conflict, Vader doubted that would be hard. 

But what if? 

“You will join me. There is no other way.” 

“That’s a  _ terrible  _ deal.” 

“I could just kill Yoda now, if you take issue with it.” 

Luke scowled at him...and Vader could see his mind turning the problem over in his mind. No doubt he’d look for an escape opportunity, but Vader had no plans to leave his side. It wouldn’t happen. But Luke didn’t know that yet. 

“Fine.” Luke growled. “But I’m  _ not  _ joining you.” 

Vader gave him a bitter smile, though he naturally couldn’t see it behind the mask. 

“We will see, my son.” Vader said, shooting a look at a strangely smug-looking Yoda. “We will see.” 

* * *

Luke sat huddled in Yoda’s hut, staring into a bowl of soup that had come from a pot that he was certain he’d seen frog legs in. He stirred it around, trying not to look like he was trying to be rude, but even if he hadn’t scooped up any legs, he wasn’t exactly keen on trying frog leg soup. 

But Aunt Beru would scold him for being rude to his host. Even if his host was nothing at all like he’d expected, and had apparently known, as well as Ben, that his father wasn’t dead. 

A father that couldn’t exactly fit into Yoda’s tiny hut and now hovered outside one of the open windows. Unlike Artoo, who was peaking into one of the lower ones, rain pouring onto his dome, Vader wasn’t visible. But he could hear his mechanical breathing and somehow...somehow he could  _ feel  _ where he was. A dark, cold presence that was even colder than the freezing rain outside. 

His father. Darth Vader. 

_ His father.  _

Luke had definitely lost his appetite. 

“Eat!” Yoda insisted, hobbling over to the pot for his own helping. “Eat, eat! Growing boy, you are. Must eat good food!” 

“I’m afraid I’m not…” he trailed off, and with a sigh he reluctantly spooned the broth into his mouth. 

It tasted like dirt. But...warm dirt. Not the worst thing he’d ever had. 

“I’m sorry.” He mumbled after a few spoonfuls. 

“Jedi, am I. Not a cook.” Yoda settled in to eat his dinner. The last dinner he’d ever have, probably. Luke wanted to say that he could protect the Jedi Master from Vader, but...his X-Wing was in a swamp. It wasn’t like he had an escape method. Maybe he could steal whatever ship Vader had brought, but the man had made it quite clear that he wasn’t going to let him stray too far away from him. Even without him in the room, Vader’s presence was...overwhelming. Crushing. Luke could hardly breathe. 

No. He couldn’t protect Yoda, not long enough to help him escape. Not unless he had a ship stowed away somewhere. 

“That’s not what I meant.” Luke kept his voice low, though he doubted it would stop Vader from hearing whatever he wanted. Who knew what that suit allowed him to do? Maybe the rumors were true and he could read minds…

“Ah. Worry not about Vader, young Skywalker. Overconfident, he is. Too focused on what’s on the horizon. Never on what’s here now, in front of his very nose.” 

“I can  _ hear  _ you!” Vader’s voice rumbled from beyond the window. Luke had the urge to stuff the windows with blankets and furniture items to keep Vader out completely. 

“Not hiding from you, am I.” Yoda let out a crazed laugh, shaking his head. “Most unexpected. Most unexpected indeed.” 

“You’re telling me.” Luke looked back at his stew, which was growing cold in his hands. “Why didn’t Ben tell me?” 

“Ask him yourself.” Yoda nodded towards the ceiling, as if Ben’s ghost were going to pop up from above any moment now. 

“Kenobi is  _ dead.”  _ Vader snarled from outside. 

“That he is.” Yoda agreed. “One with the Force, he is. Became stronger and more powerful than you could ever imagine, Vader.” 

Luke could have sworn Yoda was intentionally trying to needle the Dark Lord. As if the man hadn’t almost single handedly destroyed the entire Jedi Order. Whatever Yoda was, he was at the very least brave. 

“The dead are not powerful.” 

“Oh?” 

“If that were the case, I have made quite a number of powerful enemies.” 

Luke blinked at the general direction Vader was standing in. Was...was he being  _ sarcastic _ ?

He...hadn’t expected that. He hadn’t expected a lot of things from him. Everything he imagined, everything he thought he knew...it was still crumbling before his eyes. 

“Speak with him, if you want.” Yoda encouraged. “Though wait for daybreak, I would. Rest. You must rest for now.” 

“How can you say that?” Luke struggled to keep his voice low, even though again, Vader could hear every word. “Darth Vader is standing outside of your hut, threatening to make me turn to the Dark Side, and threatening to kill  _ you!  _ And I’m the one who led him to you--” 

Yoda stopped what he was doing, his ears twitching. “Like your father you are, young Skywalker. Blaming yourself for what is not in your control. A path to the Dark Side, this is.” 

“Oh.  _ Great.  _ Good to know I’m already doing the work for Vader.” 

“So he assumes.” Yoda lifted his cane, pointing it at him. “Your decision, it is. Vader cannot take it from you. Want to turn to the Dark Side, do you?” 

_ “No,  _ but I don’t even understand how that even works--” 

“Tempt you, the Dark Side will. Especially now that you know the truth.” 

Luke opened his mouth...and shut it, even as a wave of bitterness slammed into him. Was that why Ben had lied to him about his father? Because he was afraid he’d become like him? 

As if reading his thoughts (and giving disturbing weight to that rumor), Vader insisted heatedly, “It is your  _ destiny.  _ Yoda couldn’t even sense that the Sith were right under his nose the entire war. The Jedi are weak. They will only be your downfall!” 

Yoda...laughed. “No more than a shortcut, the Dark Side is. Intoxicating, addicting...but it will always consume and destroy their users, in the end.” 

“It’s been twenty two years and somehow the reign of the Sith has never been stronger.” 

“Hey, the Rebellion has delivered quite a few blows to the Empire!” Luke protested, glaring in the general direction of his...Vader. “Your Empire isn’t as strong as you’d like to think!” 

“Remind me. Who just won the battle of Hoth?” Luke scowled. “I thought so. The Death Star was an admirable victory, my son, but not one that significantly set us back.” 

Luke opened his mouth to point out it was obvious the Death Star’s destruction at the very least pissed the Emperor off, but what came out instead was, “Don’t call me your son!” 

“But that is what you  _ are! _ ”

“Let go of your anger.” Yoda interrupted, voice calm. Luke didn’t know how he could be so calm, given who was arguing with them from outside his hut, but he certainly felt nothing but confusion and fury over the entire situation. “A path to the Dark Side, anger is.” 

“Anger is  _ strength--”  _

“What gained, have you since you turned to evil, hm?” Yoda countered. “Power? Pah. Fleeting and lonely, power is. Control? Slips through your fingers, control does. It is but an illusion.” 

“You are an ignorant, old, gremlin, and I will not have you poisoning my son’s mind--” 

“Have you not been lonely? Is that not why you have come to claim your son? Yet continue on your path, and lose him the way you lost Senator Amidala, you will--” 

“ _ You have no right to speak her name!”  _

The Force exploded with cold fury, so much so that Luke actually fell out of his seat, the soup clattering to the floor. He instinctively reached for his lightsaber...and paused, remembering that Vader had picked it up and not given it back earlier. 

Technically, it was his anyway. That just made it worse, both because he couldn’t protect himself adequately now, and because he’d apparently been swinging around a murderer’s weapon while thinking it was a great symbol of his father’s heroism. 

“Who…?” Luke began, and that just seemed to set Vader off more. 

“He doesn’t even know about his own mother?!” 

Mother. 

Luke blinked, scrambling to remember the name Yoda had dropped. 

Senator Amidala. 

He...wasn’t proficient in names of senators. Leia probably would have known, but there was  _ no way  _ he wanted Leia involved in this. But the name...even though it was clearly partial, it rang in his very soul. 

What kind of woman was she, to have been with Vader? Logic told him she was probably just as sadistic and crazy, but...his heart said differently. In fact, it was the first calming thing that had happened to him since crash landing on Dagobah. He didn’t understand why, but the name brought him a sense of...peace. And longing for a parent that might have been at least slightly more normal than his murderer father. 

“Not in charge of telling him, was I.” Yoda shrugged, as though that were an excuse. 

“You never would have told him!” Vader accused, and this time Luke saw Vader duck to glare in through the window. The earthen walls were not much of a defense against the Dark Lord, Luke realized nervously. Vader pointed threateningly at Yoda. “This is exactly why the Jedi are not worth your time, Luke! They lie to suit their needs, they manipulate, and Yoda himself told me to  _ rejoice  _ in her death when I came to him to ask for help in saving your mother!” 

The peaceful feeling over finding out part of his mother’s name was gone, yet again replaced by confusion and pain. “What is he talking about?” He asked Yoda. He wanted to yell, to start screaming at  _ both  _ of them until things somehow went back to normal, but… no. Yelling wouldn’t help. Yoda wasn’t wrong when he said anger led to the Dark Side...but that didn’t make any of this any easier. 

“Conveniently left out information, you did. Thought you were speaking of Master Kenobi, I did, and gave advice specific for that situation. A natural part of life, death is. Do not fear death. One must learn to let go, which you never did.” Yoda replied, and this time there was real sadness there. 

“Of course you say that  _ now!”  _ Vader snarled. 

“Regrets, I have. Failed you, I did. But your actions are still your own. Force you to turn, I did not.”

Vader glare through the window at the old Jedi master, then turned back to Luke. “There is much about the Jedi that you do not know.” Then the mask was gone, and Luke sensed he was done with the conversation. 

For a moment, he sat there in silence with the old Jedi Master, the words replaying in his head. “Could you have saved her if you’d known?” He finally whispered. He didn’t know all of the circumstances...but it was apparent that Vader had come to Yoda seeking some kind of help to save his mother. 

Yoda’s head drooped and he sighed. “No. Many things, the Force can do, but saving one from death...this is not done.” 

So perhaps his father was doomed from the start, then. Luke let the words wash over him, adding further to the confusion and pain. 

Was he doomed then, too? 

“Rest, you must. Tomorrow, a decision to make, have you.” Yoda shook his head, hobbling over to a little nook that Luke realized was his bed. 

Again, Luke didn’t know how that was possible...but the situation wasn’t something he could control. And he did need rest if he was going to figure out how to somehow fix this whole mess. 

He was starting to think it was unfixable, though. 

* * *

“Kenobi is  _ dead,  _ Luke. I made sure of that.” 

Actually, he’d attempted to make sure of that, but there hadn’t been a body to investigate. Still, Vader had once had a strong connection to the man, and when he disappeared, Vader felt his life merge back into the Force. It was something he’d grown all too used to these many years, but for some reason, Kenobi’s had been...unexpectedly strong. 

“Dead, but not gone.” Yoda, who was leading them through the swamp, cackled. 

“I do not miss your cryptic nonsense.” Vader grumbled, and Luke, who walked ahead of him, threw him a look. “You at the very least cannot deny that, my son.” 

“Stop calling me your son.” Luke’s look darkened, and he turned away and continued after the Jedi Master. 

Inwardly, Vader sighed. He wasn’t sure if his plan was working or not. For the most part, Luke was warring with feelings of confusion and anger, but the moment his mother’s name had been mentioned, there’d been a brief moment of peace. It was unsurprising, given that she’d had that effect on him, but it had been surprising anyway. It was clear the boy didn’t know her, and yet just her name had caused such a reaction. The boy was strong in the Force, there was no doubt about it. 

He just needed to get him to see that the Old Jedi would only lead him down the path of failure. 

And if he didn’t…

_ He must be destroyed.  _

That’s what his Master would say, if he knew about Luke. Which...Vader was mostly sure he didn’t. Not yet. So he’d have to take him, keep him aboard the Executor, then figure out how to convince him that way. It wasn’t ideal, but he wouldn’t let anyone or anything take his son away from him again. 

Not even Luke. 

Ahead, Yoda stopped, settling down on a log. He began to trace patterns into the dirt. “Here you may speak with Kenobi.” He nodded towards what Vader at first thought was a wall of fallen, mossy, twisting trees...but then upon closer inspection, he realized it was a cave, leading down into the ground. 

It  _ pulsated  _ with the Force. 

There was something...wrong about this place. 

“Kenobi would not dwell in a place this dark.” Vader said, annoyed. 

Luke scowled at him. “He lived on Tatooine for who knows how long. I’m sure a lot  _ changed  _ since you last saw and didn’t try to kill him.” 

That...was a fair point. But Vader shook his head anyway. “No. I  _ know  _ Kenobi would not spend his time in a place infused with the Dark Side.” 

“The Dark Side, is it?” Yoda mused, and Vader was tempted to start strangling him, deal or no deal. Yoda knew very well that this was not a Light Side-friendly cave, whatever it was. “Necessary, it is, for you to face the cave. The truth it will show you.” 

“So you admit that the Dark Side is more powerful?”

He expected Yoda to respond back to his obvious sarcasm. He expected him to scold him like he had when he was a youngling. But Yoda simply looked up into his eyes and repeated, “The truth it will show you.” 

The way he said it...Vader was certain he meant that whatever was in there, he needed to see it. He didn’t know what truth Yoda could be referring to, but this place was touched by the Dark Side. Whatever it was, it had to be something of use to him, something to help him turn Luke to the Dark Side. 

Yoda looked back down at the ground, at whatever he was etching into the mud. “Hurry, you should. Already entered, Luke has.” 

Fear shot into his throat as he whirled. Sure enough, Yoda was right. Luke was gone, and when Vader frantically stretched out his senses, looking for his boy, he found his bright presence within the cave. 

“Damn that boy,” He grumbled as he hurried to the entrance. 

Still. The fact that Luke had hurried into a cave pulsing with the Dark Side, that had to be a good sign, right? 

* * *

Luke didn’t like this place. He didn’t like it at all. 

But it was better than being around Vader. Better than knowing what would happen tonight. And if Ben was in this cave, despite what Vader said, Luke needed to talk to him. Alone, without Vader hovering, if only for a moment. 

So he rushed in when Vader and Yoda were distracted. 

Immediately he felt cold. Wrong. Like the hole he’d climbed into belonged to another world. Fog swirled at his feet. Reptilian creatures slithered away with each step he took. The cave was muted, save for a sound that almost sounded like breathing. Not like Vader's loud, rasping breaths, but like the cave itself was breathing in and out. 

That wasn’t a pleasant image. He hoped Yoda hadn’t just led him to his doom. He was, after all, the son of Darth Vader. The most hated man in the galaxy, minus the Emperor. The man who’d destroyed the Jedi Order, who was probably the reason Yoda was hiding on a planet like this. Perhaps he wanted him dead…

But no. Ben had sent him here to find Yoda for a reason. He...he could trust…

Could he trust Ben? 

He’d lied to him, after all. He’d deliberately told him that his father was dead, murdered by Darth Vader. It had sparked a need for revenge, a need to follow in the footsteps of his Jedi father. Vader had claimed that he’d been stolen away from him. What would life have been like had he stayed with his father from the beginning? 

The moment he thought that, the scenery changed. One moment he was stepping over roots, the next, he stepped onto marble. 

Luke blinked, surprised. Instead of the mossy walls of the cave, he was standing in a bright open space craft hangar. Stone pillars rose up, and in the wings he saw multiple benches full of every tool imaginable. Droids rolled to and fro. 

But the ships in the hangar…

For a moment, he forgot to breathe. 

It was a collectors dream. There were antiques, rare models that Luke was pretty sure wasn’t even supposed to exist anymore. There were new models that so far had only been released in the Core worlds, a few generic Imperial transport models, and others built purely to be flashy and speed. 

He definitely hadn’t expected this when he’d barrelled into the cave. Maybe the Force was trying to tell him that what he should really do was quit and become a ship collector. Honestly, that would have been the best news he’d gotten in...well. Years, actually. 

But he doubted that was the case. 

“I thought I might find you here.” 

And just like that, Luke’s happy...whatever this was, crashed. 

He whirled around. There Vader was, coming towards him at a leisurely pace. Luke almost missed the relaxed curve of his shoulders as he opened his mouth to demand how he’d gotten there, but what came out instead was, “When am I  _ not  _ here, father?” 

He wanted to physically recoil at the F word, but he realized he wasn’t in control of his own body anymore. It was as if he’d been thrown into some dream with no means of waking up. 

“Point taken.” Vader sounded...amused. But not the same dark amusement from the night before. Luke wanted to lean away as he came to a stop in front of him. “It is good you’re here. I have a birthday present for you.” 

Birthday? Yes...this had to be some kind of dream. Maybe a Force vision? He wasn’t asleep though, or close to passing out. He was fully awake...so why--?

The cave. Whatever this place was, it was messing with his brain. 

Vader continued forward, passing row upon row of vehicles. Luke followed, not at all reluctantly, until Vader came to a stop next to something ship-shaped covered by a huge white cloth. “Too big to wrap, huh?” Luke teased, joining his father. 

Urg. He was  _ joking  _ with Darth Vader. What kind of Force vision was this?? 

“Much too big.” Vader agreed, then stretched out his hand and yanked with the Force. The sheet came tumbling off, landing in a heap, revealing a ship that took Luke’s breath away. 

“No way,” He said, and honestly had he had control of himself in the vision, he probably would have said the exact same thing. “A N-1 Starfighter?!” He rushed forward, circling the ship in awe. These were antiques...and relatively rare. At least, in this condition. This ship looked like it had just come off the factory floor. Even the yellow paint job was shiny enough that Luke could see his own reflection in it. 

He continued to circle it in excitement, then at one point, ducked his head to peer at his father from beneath the ship. “This isn’t a joke, is it? You said I couldn’t have a space-worthy ship until I was older.” 

Vader had crossed his arms, and Luke got the strange sense that he was exceedingly satisfied with his reaction. “I did say that. Good thing it’s your birthday. You are, therefore,  _ older.”  _

Luke grinned, then began climbing up into the cockpit to take a closer look. “Where did you even find this?!” 

“I have connections.” 

“Of course you do. Why did I even bother asking?” The cockpit was as amazing as the rest of the ship, and Luke’s hands itched to grab hold of the controls and take it for a spin. “J-type Nubian 221 engine, Nubia Monarc C-4 hyperdrive...this thing still has it’s  _ parts.  _ Is...is this the same model you used to take down the Trade Federation?” 

There was an uncomfortable pause. “Yes.” 

Luke had a feeling there was much more behind that story, but then again, Vader himself was a mystery. So there was probably a story behind everything. But Vision-Luke apparently knew enough of those stories, and he climbed back down from the cockpit and before he could even guess at what he was going to do next...he was rushing back to Vader and throwing his arms around him. 

“Thanks father!” His voice was muffled by the fabric of Vader’s suit. Inwardly, Luke was  _ screaming.  _

He was. Hugging. Darth. Vader. 

_ Hugging. Darth. Vader.  _

This was a completely  _ wild  _ truth, and Luke had zero idea what it meant, even as Vader reached up and hooked one arm around his shoulders, the other reaching up to ruffle his hair with obvious affection. 

Did...the truth mean that Vader just needed a hug??? 

No. That was  _ insane.  _ This whole dream was  _ insane.  _ What was going on?! 

Vader let him go and turned just as a young ensign came around the corner, standing at attention when he noted that Vader had apparently sensed his arrival and was waiting. He saluted. “Lord Vader. The Emperor requests your presence immediately.” 

Vader was silent for a few breaths. Then, he looked back at Luke, as if torn. Luke expected him to go to the Emperor. He was, after all, second in command to the entire galaxy. But instead, Vader turned back to the ensign and said, “You will tell the Emperor that I had already left on a flight with my son for his birthday. I will attend to him when I return.” 

The ensign saluted again, then disappeared. 

“You’re going to get in trouble if you do that.” Luke said, and there was concern in the vision's voice. Even if inside, he was actually seriously confused. None of this behavior matched at all with the ruthless killer who’d hunted them for years and tortured his best friend. 

“I don’t care.” Vader turned back to him, placing a steadying hand on his shoulder. “You are my son. You come first.” 

That...despite it all, that made Luke feel a twinge of...longing? Pride? Reluctant hope? 

He honestly had no idea. 

“Now. Go get Artoo. I’ll find a suitable ship of my own, and we’ll go for a test run.” 

Again. Vader implied that Artoo was more than just a little familiar to him, but Luke couldn’t ask. Instead, he nodded, turned, and ran towards a side room. 

But when he opened the room, expecting a droid maintenance closet, he instead found himself in a dark, almost empty room. When he turned back around, the door and the ship hangar were gone. The only light at all in the room was a headlight hanging in the center, illuminating a bed. 

And in that bed, nestled in blankets, was a woman who appeared to be exhausted. 

She opened dark eyes, instantly spotting him, and she smiled a sad, aching smile. “Luke.” 

The way she said his name, like it was a prayer, made his mouth go dry. 

Reaching out a hand, she beckoned for him to approach. “My Luke. Come. We don’t have much time.” 

Luke waited for his vision self to move...but then realized he was back in control of his own body. He took a step, and stopped. “Who are you?” 

A look of anguish flashed over her expression. “You know who I am.” 

He stared at her for a moment...and that feeling of peace washed over him. “Senator Amidala.” He said. It wasn’t a question. The moment the name left his lips, he sensed it was true. “My mother.” 

She nodded. “Yes. Padme is my name. I’m...sorry it took so long for you to learn it.” 

He simply stared at her. She definitely wasn’t a crazed lunatic who seemed to be fascinated with murderous Sith Lords. She seemed like a perfectly normal, albeit extremely beautiful, woman. 

And she appeared to be sick. 

“What...happened to you?” 

A frown creased her lips, and she again beckoned him to come forward. He swallowed, suddenly feeling like his stomach had just decided it had turned into dancing womp rats, but he did as she asked. Each step felt like it was the most important step of his life, and finally he reached her. She took his hand, and he was surprised to note how  _ warm  _ it felt...while also feeling strangely devoid of life. 

“This was the room where I died.” When Luke looked around again, he noted that he could now see more details. There was a viewing area off to the left, with cold, medical instruments lining the room. A deactivated med droid was in the corner. “Over there, Bail Organa and Master Yoda watched as I gave birth to you.” She motioned to the viewing area. “And right where you’re standing, Obi-Wan held you for the first time.” 

Why...was Bail and Yoda here at his birth? Why was Obi-Wan the first to hold him? He frowned, opened his mouth to ask...but she already anticipated the question. 

“I tried to bring your father back to the Light. It...didn’t end well, and I went into labor. This was a secure facility, and I’m afraid I’m not sure why Bail and Master Yoda were here, but it was Obi-Wan who brought me. Your father...I didn’t know it at the time, but he was in the process of completing his physical transformation into Vader.” 

There was a bitterness in her voice, and her hand tightened on his own with far more strength than he expected. 

“So he abandoned you for the Dark Side.” It wasn’t surprising, but it still hurt nonetheless. How could he have looked up to him? Why hadn’t Ben told him sooner?

“It’s more complicated than that, I’m afraid.” Padme sighed. With each word, she seemed to be getting stronger and stronger, and she sat up in the bed, tracing patterns into the back of his hand. “He was trying to save my life. He’d already lost so much, and he was afraid of losing me, too. It would appear that Chanc...The  _ Emperor  _ saw that and preyed on it. By the night of your birth, he had Anakin so convinced that the Dark Side was the only way to save us, I couldn’t get through to him.” 

Luke processed the information, not sure how to feel about it. “So my father...at least at some point, was a good man?” 

Padme nodded. “One of the best. The galaxy viewed him as a hero, the perfect Jedi. But...reality was different. He  _ was  _ a hero, but there were pressures that made things...difficult. Still, he had a genuine desire to help others. He was a good man.” She leaned forward, looking directly into his eyes. For a moment, she almost looked like...someone else. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it… 

“There is  _ still  _ good in him, Luke.” 

Immediately, he began to shake his head...but then he remembered the other portion of the vision. The one where Vader was strangely...normal, around him. Or, well, as normal as Vader could be. Vision Luke had seemed happy with him, and Vader seemed almost proud of him. He’d even wanted to spend time with him over the Emperor. 

Was that what life would have looked like had he been raised by Vader? Could he have convinced Vader to make different choices just by being...well, himself? 

It seemed far too simple, and he highly doubted he’d be getting another Vader-hug by the end of this...but Padme looked at him with such ferocity, he almost believed her. 

“How do you know that?” He asked, throat tight. 

“I know him. I’ve known him better than anyone else, including Obi-Wan. And...while you may not know him, you have a connection to him.” she reached up and placed a hand over his chest, right over his thumping heart. “You’ll feel it. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, or even years from now. But your father still had  _ good.  _ Anakin has always responded positively to the love of his family. And you…” she hesitated, as if she wanted to say something else, but thought better of it. “You are the only family left who will give him that chance.” 

Luke stared at her. “He’s killed countless people.” 

“I know.”

“He tortured my friends.” 

“I know.”

“He’s a  _ Sith.”  _

“I know. I’m not saying he doesn’t need to answer for his crimes. But Anakin Skywalker is still in there. This doesn’t have to end in patricide.” She gave him a knowing look, then sighed, reaching up to touch his cheek. Though he didn’t know her, he found himself leaning into her touch. “I love you. So much. And I’m proud of the man you’ve become.” 

Tears sprung to his eyes. “I wish I’d known you.” 

“I know.” She gently wiped a tear away with her thumb. “I...wish we had more time. There’s still so much...but our time is up. You need to return.” 

He didn’t want to. He wanted anything  _ but  _ that. But somehow, he knew she was right. 

“Will I see you again?” He asked. 

She shook her head, sorrow in her expression. “I’m not like Obi-Wan. Let’s just say the Force doesn’t work the same for non-Force sensitives. But when the time is right...we’ll meet again.” 

Luke reluctantly nodded, and though it pained him, he let her go. He drank in the sight of her, memorizing everything about that moment, then began to turn away. But before he did, he stopped. “You know. You kind of look like someone I know.” 

An odd expression passed over her face. “Oh?” 

“Yeah. Weird, right?” 

“Maybe not as weird as you think.” A strained smile lit her face. “Actually. Luke?” 

“Yes?” 

“Before you go...I need you to promise me something.” 

Luke frowned, half expecting her to make him promise to try to appeal to the goodness in Vader. The idea was still a bit...foreign to him. “I can try.” 

Padme leaned forward, looking him directly in the eyes. “Whatever you do, don’t kiss anyone until you’ve talked to Master Yoda and your father more about your family.” 

~

The boy was  _ far  _ too much like him. Running head first into the unknown, heedless of the potential risk to his life. When Vader found him, he was going to strangle the boy himself. 

He didn’t know exactly what that would achieve, but...well. What else was he supposed to do to get the point across? 

The hole in the ground was almost too narrow for him to slide through, but he managed with far less grace than he cared to admit. He inwardly grumbled, secretly grateful that Luke wasn’t there to see that, and continued into the cave. 

“Luke?!” He called furiously, reaching out into the Force to sense the boy. He felt him nearby, but no matter how many corners he turned, he seemed to always be just out of reach. 

Typical. 

With each step, he grew more and more annoyed and impatient. Where had he gone?! It wasn’t like he could have disappeared. If that were the case, he wouldn’t be able to sense him. 

It had to be Force within the cave. It...distorted things. As he walked along, he could have sworn out of the corner of his eye he saw images floating in the fog, but when he turned, there was nothing there. 

It reminded him far too much of a temple. Both Sith and Jedi temples tended to show their patrons strange visions, both past, present, and potential futures. He hated it. But this was a cave, and he saw no remains of an ancient temple of any sort within it, so he wasn’t fully sure what to make of it. 

What mattered was that he find his son and get out. 

The passage suddenly widened out into a large room. Stalactites reached down towards him like grasping, claw-tipped fingers. At first it was too dark to see much else...but then the helmets vision cleared, and he realized he was about to step on a body. 

He froze, terrified for a moment that the body was his son’s. It was shrouded in black, turned away from him. Carefully, he used the Force to turn it towards him, dreading what he’d see…

He found himself staring into the shriveled face of the Emperor, whose blood-shot eyes stared unseeing at the ceiling in pure horror. 

“Good riddance.” Vader whirled, heart hammering in his chest, and found Luke standing there, staring down at the body with an almost eerie indifference. 

“Luke.” Vader...wasn’t sure if he should be relieved that he’d finally found him. There was something different. Something off. He seemed older somehow...and was he wearing a different outfit? Yes. He was, and the lightsaber at his belt wasn’t one that he recognized. 

A vision. Perhaps a vision of the future? It had to be, if the hard, bitter lines around Luke’s eyes and mouth were anything to go by. And was his eyes a different color? 

“So you finally accept the Dark Side.” The knowledge should have given him comfort and triumph. His son would join him, he’d be  _ his,  _ and the Emperor would die. 

So why did he feel like he was missing something? 

“That’s old news.” Even Luke’s voice sounded different. Older. Angrier. “Still. I’m not done yet.” 

Vader...didn’t like the sound of that. “What do you mean?” 

Luke looked at him, not as a son would his father. Almost as if...as if he were sizing up an enemy. “A Sith must eventually replace their master. You taught me this.” 

His insides froze. He said nothing. 

“And since you are between me and the throne, I don’t have much of a choice.” 

This wasn’t what he had in mind. 

“You are my son. Not my apprentice.” 

Luke shrugged indifferently, and Vader realized his eyes were gold. “Is there a difference?” 

His heart sank into his stomach. “Luke...Luke wait…” 

Luke ignored him, summoning his lightsaber to his hands and igniting it. Even with his red vision, Vader knew the blade was blood red. He could feel the crystal screaming. “Draw your blade, Father. It would be a shame to kill you so easily.” 

_ “No.”  _ He’d expected his son to possibly not ever grow close to him, but he’d never imagined...he should have. It was the way of the Sith...but to actually be faced with that reality--

Luke shrugged. “Oh well.” 

Then, before Vader could move to stop him, Luke brought the lightsaber down…

And suddenly, he was no longer in the room. Luke was gone. The body of the Emperor was nowhere to be found. Vader could still feel where the lightsaber had slashed through him--a killing blow. 

Luke would kill the Emperor. Then he’d kill him. 

That...was  _ not  _ the plan. That wasn’t what he wanted. He’d just wanted his son--

“It is the way of the Sith to betray their masters. Always two. Never more. Not really.” 

Vader stood there, staring at the hanging moss for a moment, before slowly turning to face who’d spoken. There, sitting on a protruding rock, was a shimmering figure of Obi-Wan. Not as he’d last seen him, old and aged far beyond his years due to the unforgiving heat of Tatooine’s twin suns, but as the young man he’d been brothers with. It was as if he’d just gotten finished letting him burn on the shores of Mustafar, and now he was here to have a conversation about whatever the hell it was he’d just seen. 

“What, no accusations? No threats?” Obi-Wan asked, quirking an eyebrow. “That vision must have shaken you.” 

It had, but he didn’t want to admit it. “The vision. It was your doing, wasn’t it?” 

“Ah. There’s the accusation.” He smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “No, I’m just a Force Ghost. I don’t have powers over vision manipulation, I’m afraid.” 

A...Force Ghost. He’d never heard of such a thing. Then again, Obi-Wan had told him he’d grow more powerful than he could imagine if he killed him, then Yoda had echoed the comment the night before. 

It was certainly...troublesome. 

“Leave. I have nothing to say to you.” He growled, though it was...half-hearted. He was still reeling from the vision, and not even Kenobi apparently being able to show up could totally make him forget what had happened...or what would happen. 

“I didn’t come here to get lectured.” Kenobi shrugged. “So, that’s good to know.” 

Nevermind. Kenobi could still push his buttons like no one else. He grabbed his lightsaber, igniting it. 

“What are you doing to do with that? Poke me? I’m  _ dead  _ already.” 

“I clearly killed you too quickly!” 

“How is it that you always come to the wrong conclusion about almost everything?” He shook his head. “Perhaps I should have forced you to go to school as a youngling to learn critical thinking skills.” 

“I have  _ plenty--”  _ He forced himself to stop, glaring at him. “I don’t have time for this.” 

“Oh, you have plenty of time, old friend. Luke is fine. He’s seeing what he needs to see.” 

“What are you showing him?!” 

“Like I said. I don’t have control over that. Maybe if you ask nicely, he’ll tell you later.” Obi-Wan quirked his head. “Though...this isn’t at all how I envisioned Luke learning the truth.” 

“Because you  _ lied  _ to him! You were going to fool him into thinking I was dead, then manipulate him into killing me!” 

“Did I lie to him?” Kenobi tilted his head. “I told him the truth from a certain point of view.” 

“A  _ certain point of view?!”  _

“Yes.” Obi-Wan nodded. “Anakin Skywalker stopped existing the moment you decided to pledge yourself to the Sith and become Darth Vader. That’s how being a Sith works. Is it not?” 

Vader wanted to throw it back in his face that he was wrong...but he was technically right. “That still gave you  _ no right  _ to take my son from me!” 

“You’d killed younglings, Darth.” Obi-Wan said wearily, and for a moment he looked like he’d aged years all over again. “Even if Palpatine allowed him to live, what would he have become under you?” He gestured around them. “Did you enjoy that vision? Do you want that to happen to your son?” 

“Of  _ course  _ not, but I...I can convince him--”

“No. No, you can’t.” Obi-Wan stood. “Stop looking for shortcuts. Stop turning to the Dark Side for all of the answers. Regardless of what you do, what Luke will become is not the son you envision. You  _ must  _ let go of this foolish dream of turning him to the Dark Side. It is the only way to prevent that vision...or worse.” 

“You know  _ nothing  _ of the Dark Side!” 

“No. But I know Luke. I...knew you. The Dark Side has taken and taken and taken, and it will continue to take until it destroys you. So for once in your life, if you want to save your son,  _ don’t turn to the Dark Side.”  _

Fury gripped him, and he yelled, swinging his lightsaber at the ghost. 

Naturally, it passed through, and yet again, Vader was left alone, staring at the mossy walls of the cave, with nothing but the sound of his own harsh breathing filling his ears. 

* * *

When Luke and Vader emerged from the cave, both of them covered in dirt and reeling from what they saw, it was dark out. Yoda had not moved from his spot on the tree root. He still traced patterns in the mud. The only difference was that Artoo had joined him, and when the droid saw Luke, he whistled in concern. 

“I’m...I’m alright, Artoo.” Luke promised, quickly moving away from Vader to join the droid. Despair filled him as he noted that by this time, the twenty four hours were up. Perhaps it was overdue. “How is it already dark out? We weren’t in there that long.” 

Indeed, Luke was pretty sure he’d only been in there at most an hour. But Yoda tilted his head to look up at him. “Time works differently in places strong with the Force.” If he was anymore concerned that the deadline was up, he still didn’t show it. Maybe he truly wasn’t afraid of death. A sharp contrast to how his...his father apparently felt. Luke risked a glance at Vader, but Vader seemed...reserved, for once. He didn’t even think he was fully paying attention. 

Yoda’s ears tilted upwards in interest. “What saw you?” 

He opened his mouth to reply...hesitated, looking at Vader, then said, “I...saw what might have been. And...I saw my mother.” 

_ That  _ got Vader’s attention. He was at his side so quickly, Luke yelped and jumped back. Artoo angrily attempted to push himself between them, but Vader ignored him. “Describe her!” 

His voice was loud and harsh. Luke flinched, but described her anyway. When he finished, Vader again seemed...different. Confused, anguished, maybe? He turned his helmet away from him to stare out into the swamp. “How is that possible?” 

“Mysterious, the Force is.” Yoda explained. “What message had she for you?” 

Again, Luke...hesitated. Though he got the sense that Vader was trying to hide it, he could feel genuine pain and sorrow for his lost wife...and perhaps envy that Luke had seen her and not him. “She said...she said there was good in you.” 

He said it directly to his father. Vader tensed...but didn’t turn back to him. 

“That is impossible.” 

He sounded oddly resigned, as if he accepted his fate, and was merely at this point doing what the Emperor expected of him. 

Luke didn’t know his father. He’d only barely decided to even consider him that, despite the Force’s earlier confirmation. But the vision of what might have been repeated in his mind. They were infinitely far off from that scenario, but Vader had no issue ignoring the Emperor and duty to spend time with his son. 

What would happen if he did exactly what his mother asked? What if he stuck around, and pushed his father to listen to what little good was left in him? 

Could he do it? 

“I think she’s right.”

Vader whirled back to him, and his surprise practically smacked Luke in the face before it was shoved down again, replaced by the now familiar coldness he’d come to associate with his father. “You do not know the power of the Dark Side, my son.” 

“Maybe not. But I don’t think that changes the fact that there is good in you.” He looked to Yoda for confirmation, but he too seemed...well not surprised. Just like he was contemplating something he hadn’t considered before. “What did you see?” 

At first, Vader didn’t answer. He simply stared until Luke started to feel uncomfortable. Then, finally, he said, “A potential future. You kill the Emperor.”

“Oh.” Luke frowned. “That’s...does that make you mad?” 

“No.” Vader continued to stare at him. “But you...you go for the throne. Since I’m in your way, you kill me.” 

Suddenly it became hard to breathe. Sure, he wanted the Emperor dead, and up until the previous night he’d wanted  _ Vader  _ dead...but he’d never wanted the throne. And now the idea of killing his father...the very idea made him sick to his stomach. “You said potential? As in, what would happen if I turned to the Dark Side?” 

Vader said nothing. He only paused, then nodded reluctantly, as if admitting it was physically painful. 

Luke’s throat tightened and he wrestled to control his fear before answering. “I  _ won’t  _ turn. I refuse.” 

He realized that by answering that way, he was also technically answering Vader’s twenty four hour deal. Any moment he expected Vader to get angry, turn around and kill Yoda where he sat. Even Artoo must have thought that, because he attempted to subtly move in between Vader and Yoda. 

But his father just looked at him, as if he were the most interesting person in the entire galaxy. Maybe he even thought he was. Then, finally, he looked at Yoda. “No.” Vader said, and again there was real pain there. As if he’d had a dream for what Luke would be, and that dream was shattering. “You will not turn.” 

He could barely believe his ears. He wanted to shout--in surprise, for joy, for excitement. But he didn’t think that would be received well. 

Yoda met Vader’s gaze, and Luke could have sworn there was silent communication between the two of them. “Train the boy, I will.” Yoda said, as if answering that unspoken question. “Safe he will be on Dagobah.” 

Vader pointed at him. “He had  _ better  _ be. If anything happens to him, I will personally return and--”

“Yes, yes. Kill me, you will. Understand this, I do.” Yoda let out one of his crazed giggles that really made Luke question whether he even totally wanted to be left with the old Jedi Master, but he didn’t get a chance to ponder it because abruptly, Vader turned and began to storm away. 

He should have let him go. Logically, that made total sense. And yet…

_ You will tell the Emperor that I had already left on a flight with my son for his birthday. I will attend to him when I return. _

“Wait!” 

Luke jogged to catch up to him. He expected Vader to ignore him and continue back to wherever he’d come from, but he stopped, turning his helmet slightly to watch him approach. Again, Luke was met with the sense of surprise, and honestly, Luke didn’t disagree with him. 

Especially as he stopped, looked his father in the eye, and said, “Stay.” 

“I doubt Yoda would much like a Sith Lord hovering over your training.” Vader rumbled, but he didn’t outright say no… 

“I’m sure we’d figure something out.” Luke glanced back at Yoda, who shrugged. 

“Never considered where I’d put a Sith Lord.” Yoda replied, “But figure something out, we would indeed.” 

There was a twinkle in his eyes that said he didn’t just have plans for Luke, too. If Vader stayed, he wouldn’t just be a hovering dark lord, commenting on everything he found bothersome. Or worse. 

“See?” Luke said, turning back to his father. Maybe the swamp made everyone crazy. He was crazy to be asking this. But he didn’t feel right in taking it back. “Maybe we’ll built you your own dirt hut.” 

Vader...made a noise. A noise that sounded like a series of sharp exhales...and Luke realized it was a  _ laugh.  _

He’d made Darth Vader laugh. 

Perhaps his mother was right, after all. 

“I am a Sith, boy.” Vader warned. “I should be back on the Executor. If I disappear--”

“Screw the Emperor.” Luke gave him a look. “Do you even like that old bag of wrinkles?” 

Vader was silent for a long time. “Your mother...is an idealist, Luke. There is no good in me. If I stay, you will see that.” 

Luke didn’t dare say it for fear of dissuading his father, but he thought,  _ If you stay, then already that shows there is good in you.  _

But instead he said, “I’ll be the judge of that.” 

Vader again looked at Luke like he was the only person who mattered. He looked at him like he was seeing him for the first time. Luke wasn’t sure how he knew that, considering the masks expression never changed, but deep in his very bones, he knew. 

Finally, Vader nodded. “I will stay. For you.” 

Good. There was good in his father. His mother knew it, and now he knew it, too. He still wasn’t really sure what to make of the man, or even that he himself was sane to even be trying this...but the fact that he was willing to stay, for him…

There was good in his father. 

“Now that that’s settled,” Yoda interrupted. Luke and Vader turned to find Yoda had finally moved from the tree root and was hobbling back towards his hut. “Time for a nice pot of frog stew, it is.” 

Luke made a face. “You wouldn’t happen to have better rations in your ship, would you?” He whispered to Vader. 

“No.” The amusement was obvious. “Tell me how it tastes.” 

“I’m pretty sure I already know. It tastes like warm dirt.” 

“Don’t let me stop you from getting your dirt nutrients, then.” 

He couldn’t help it. He laughed, then together, he and his father hurried after Yoda and Artoo. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed, Stars! There were two ways I could see a situation like this ending. One of them was REALLY ANGSTY and I knew you wouldn't like that, so I chose the lighter version. Happy Fic day! <3 Love you lots!   
> As for everyone else, hope ya'll enjoyed, too! As an FYI, I've been slow at updating literally everything just due to anxiety, getting wisdom teeth out (in exactly one hour from posting) and moving out of state in like a week and a half. I've also seriously procrastinated packing (which I hate with a deep passion, Palpapoop would just need to promise I'd never have to pack again and I'd probably have joined him), so that's probably going to be the rest of my week when I'm not recovering from getting teeth yanked out of my head. So, hopefully I'll be able to return to other fics soon.   
> Love you all! Leave some love!   
> Love,   
> LadyVader23  
> P.S. I don't usually have songs for short stories, but I did listen to "Meditate like a Jedi" on youtube while I wrote this. So that was nice.


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